Here is what I am thinking of doing in this rough order. I am planning to use the car for street mainly but want to stick as many track days as possible. I have about 7 DE with BMW/Audi clubs and one open track day with a bunch of enthisiasts (and no run groups). I am in the advanced group (will be doing Group A with BMW this fall and will be in the instructor development program with BMW).
Anyhow here goes:
1- Track wheels/tires and pads (Pagid orange or yellows)
2- Roll hoop (please someone tell me there is a decent bolt on available)
3- 996 GT3 seats plus 5/6 point harness (since hopefully there will be roll hoop)
4- strut brace
5- sway bars
6- LSD
7- Exhaust/headers/intake
8- Engine swap?
Thoughts/comments especially from advanced instructors and folks with competition experiance?
Pretty good priorities, IMO. Alas there's no off-the-shelf roll bar/cage yet.
You left out some high priority bandaids sold by or pending from Mantissport: accessory underdrive pulley, sump extension, and (not yet available) crankcase breather oil separator. I have these at the top of my list, actually.
You left out coil-over suspension. Without it you'll be limited in various ways.
If you do the engine bolt-ons your peak thermal waste rate may rise significantly, and as a consequence you may want the third radiator, either placed in series with the existing ones (an easy mod) or set up as a dedicated oil cooler (more complicated, but probably superior, and Mantissport apparently has a kit).
You don't have any aero (downforce) tweaks on your list. I'd assume there will eventually be some appealing options there.
Oh, and if you're budget-constrained in any relevant way, I'd defer engine swap until later, much later, if you do it at all. Remember the true dry sump engines aren't plug-and-play options (and cost a fortune besides). Ken S is up about 50 RWHP with bolt-ons and firmware, and what he did to get there, anyone can do for a fraction of what it costs to do it with an engine swap. And he's still running with OEM intake plenum and accessory pulley, so there's more to be had and cheap too.
Good points. I held of the coil-overs as an early mod, but do plan on them when saftey items are in place. You are right , engine swaps are expensive and should come last if at all. I guess 50rwhp with bolt ons is pretty decent. That should be a 997S challanger pretty easily (one of my goals!).
For aero, is there anything decent out there?
In the BMW world I know where to look. I'm still a noob when it comes to Porsches.
Currently the Porsche aero kit looks the most sensible (albeit expensive). It will fit and has been tested in an air tunnel.
I like threads about mods. Everytime someone makes comments about what they are modding, the two schools of thought come out. Some can't understand why you would add something to your car that isn't 100% functional and others say 'whatever floats your boat'.
Wings/spoilers sure bring this out. My interest is in the wheel 'upgrades'. After looking at this as a mod I am interested in a combination of performance and looks. What I can't figure out is that people drool over OZ and BBS but Enkei's/RAY's, etc look like they are cheaper and lighter. I don't hear about any of those wheels being lousy, so how do people rationalize the OZ/BBS purchases other than just looks and reputations (of which I personally feel the Enkei's/RAY's have an equal footing on)?? Or is that the reason? No big tech explantions please - I'm an ME and unless somebody has specific data those tacts will prove to be dead ends most likely. Anybody?
I dont have an answer! But Enkei/Ray's if cheaper and if stronger certainly would make them the ticket for me.
For my olde (now sold BMW) I bought SSR Comps. They were the perfect size for track work, light, and affordable compared to BBS etc, but they were softer and I ended up bending 2 of them.
I have heard Ray makes strong wheels (I need to learn a bit about Enkei) and if so, those are the ones for me.
Another question
Whats the quickest/easiest way to harness an extra 50 HP out of the Cayman S engine?
What Ken Smiley is running right now: V-Flo ($350), Capristo ($5k for full version), and ECU flash ($800). He also de-snorked, which might have an effect. The IPD intake plenum will interact synergistically with these mods, as will the accessory underdrive pulley. Do them all and your power:weight will beat a Carrera S's. But remember, your engine and brakes would then be dumping heat faster than before, so you want to bulk up there. So do third radiator and GT3-style air passage. And for a while I've been promoting brake fluid recirculators (in addition to high perf fluid and braided stainless lines), because I intend to do it and I want someone else to be the guinea pig
.
